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nodded.
‘That’s as I expected. I agree with you entirely, and I’ll make
sure there are no objections from the rest of the Council. Would
you prefer to postpone your departure, or is your resignation
effective immediately?’
    ‘Immediate,’ Eva
replied without hesitation. It cost her something to say it, but
she ensured that no trace of doubt appeared in her manner. ‘There
is much to be done regarding the draykon problem, and I have
already lost a great deal of time.’
    The Guardian frowned
slightly. ‘That issue has already been passed to the university.
Some of their finest scholars are at work on it. Not that I doubt
your ability to contribute to the research, but is it indeed so
vital that you participate immediately? I don’t wish to lose our
best High Summoner in a generation unnecessarily.’
    Eva permitted herself a
small smile. ‘They are at work, yes, but you must admit that many
of them barely believe me. They think that I spoke of some other
large, winged species, perhaps, or that some variety of shock
damaged my ability to clearly interpret the events happening around
me. I have even heard it said that I was under the influence of
some one or other of the hallucinogenic substances that can be
harvested in the Lowers. I was, after all, in the company of a
youth of twenty-five and everyone knows that all young people are
fond of recreational drugs. Few are giving the matter any real
attention.’
    Islvy smiled rather
grimly. ‘Is that so? Then they will be addressed on the
matter.’
    Eva shook her head.
‘They cannot be forced to take me seriously, not without any real
evidence other than my testimony, and Mr. Warvel’s. Even if they
could, there is only so far I can help them by describing what I
saw. My eyewitness experience is of paramount importance in
understanding recent events. At present there are only two of us
who can claim that experience.’
    ‘Mr. Warvel has been
excused from his duties as Angstrun’s aide, I understand?’
    ‘Yes, he is currently
working full time on research. It is my intent to join him at once.
I do not believe this spell of quiet will last indefinitely; we
will see something of these draykons before long, and it would be
well to understand the possible consequences of that.’
    Eva didn’t add her
private fears. Llandry’s fate had been remarkable, but was it safe
to assume that it was isolated only to her? Could there be others
across the Seven who might likewise possess the latent potential to
metamorphose? If so, it could be extremely important to identify
them before they transformed for the first time. And Eva
feared that those transformations may be triggered by proximity to
a fellow draykon, as Llandry’s appeared to have been. She needed to
answer these questions, fast, before Llandry found her way
home.
    ‘Very well,’ sighed the
Guardian. ‘You are already a Fellow of the university, yes?’
    ‘I am. I have never
before exploited the privileges of that post, but I will now.’
    Islvy nodded. ‘I
sincerely regret your departure, but I wish you success with your
new endeavours.’
    Eva rose, recognising
that as a dismissal. ‘Thank you, Guardian Troste.’
    The Guardian dropped
her formality for a moment, and smiled with real warmth. ‘Take
care, Eva.’
    Eva smiled back. ‘And
you, Islvy.’
    Eva left the Guardian’s
office with a heavy heart. No matter the strength of her motives,
it was hard to relinquish a role she had occupied for so long, and
which had been the centre of her life for more than a decade. It
would be strange to be excluded from the processes of government in
the future, no longer summoned to meetings, her contributions and
advice no longer sought. But she was beginning a new phase of her
life, and the questions at hand were more than enough to excite and
inspire her.
    And Tren would be
waiting for her at home. He had arrived early in the morning, as
usual, and when she had left the house he was already deep into his
study